Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

“But we…we still haven’t found Fourth Brother’s daughter.” Duanmu Ying suddenly lowered her head, her tone filled with self-reproach. “It’s all my fault. I lost her in that chaotic battle. Fourth Brother entrusted her to us before he passed away, but we…”

Zhang Huaiyi waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to say anything more.

“It’s alright, I’ve investigated this matter. Her disappearance was too bizarre, leaving not a trace of Qi fluctuation. Even if I had been there at the time, let alone you, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. Perhaps Fourth Brother left some backup plan, or perhaps she had some special encounter that led to her departure.”

Zhang Huaiyi stood up and patted the dirt off his backside.

"But now that she's gone, you can return to the Canal Gang without any worries. Leave her to me to continue the search. I'm a wanderer, so it's easier for me to find people."

Upon hearing this, Ma Ben and Duanmu Ying exchanged a glance.

Their biggest concern about returning to the Canal Gang was not actually the "Eight Extraordinary Skills" they possessed.

What they truly feared was the discovery of their fourth brother's daughter's secret. That secret was far too great, so great that even the Eight Extraordinary Techniques paled in comparison. It was something that would drive even ancient emperors mad.

Once that secret is exposed, it will not only cause chaos in the world of supernatural beings, but the entire world will probably be plunged into an irreversible upheaval.

“Brother Huaiyi, what about you?” Ma Ben asked Zhang Huaiyi with concern. “Are you really planning to never return to the Celestial Master’s Mansion? The Celestial Master can definitely protect you.”

Zhang Huaiyi's body stiffened for a moment.

He shook his head with a bitter smile, his eyes revealing an indescribable desolation.

"I can't go back, and I can't go back."

"Why?" Duanmu Ying asked, puzzled. "That's your home."

"In order to protect me, the only way my master can do once I return is to immediately pass on his position to me and make me the next Celestial Master."

Zhang Huaiyi clenched his fist, his voice low and deep: "But if I succeed to the position, it would mean taking away my senior brother's Celestial Master title. More importantly, once Master passes on the 'Celestial Master's Pass' to me, he will..."

Zhang Huaiyi did not continue speaking; his body trembled slightly.

"So even if I keep running away and hiding for the rest of my life, I can never go back. That would harm my master and my senior brother. I am destined to live in the shadows for the rest of my life."

Zhang Huaiyi took a deep breath and forced a smile: "You are different. Chief Jiang doesn't have such taboos. Now you have no worries, go back."

After a long silence between Ma Ben and Duanmu Ying, Ma Ben finally bowed deeply to Zhang Huaiyi with clasped hands.

"understood."

"Now that you've figured it out, there's no time to lose. I'll send you to the Canal Gang's territory right now."

The group used their full agility to traverse the dense forest.

Two days later, Zhang Huaiyi escorted the two to a river and land dock.

Zhang Huaiyi stopped in his tracks when he saw the black flag with gold trim bearing the character "震" (Zhen) fluttering high above the dock.

“There are members of the Canal Gang at the dock ahead. Once you get there, no one will dare to lay a hand on you.” Zhang Huaiyi clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two men. “It’s inconvenient for me to show myself, so let’s part ways here.”

"Goodbye!" Duanmu Ying's eyes reddened.

"Brother Huaiyi, take care!" Ma Benzai shouted loudly.

Zhang Huaiyi waved his hand casually, turned around, and his figure gradually disappeared into the dense shadows of the trees.

As Zhang Huaiyi completely disappeared, a gaze from the surrounding void turned towards the two of them.

Ma Ben walked side by side with Duanmu Yingben toward the dock, their steps firm.

But as they walked, less than a mile from the dock, the two of them stopped at the same time without any warning.

A strange idea, like a seed that suddenly sprouted from the ground, grew wildly in their minds.

“Ben Zai…” Duanmu Ying’s expression became somewhat dazed. She looked in the direction of her own sect, Jishetang, and murmured to herself, “I want to… go home first. I want to see my parents and also see Zizhong one last time.”

“Me too…” Ma Ben’s eyes were fixed on something. “Sister Ying, I also want to go home first. I want to leave a copy of the ‘Divine Machine Hundred Refinements’ method for my family, in case… I mean in case, after the storm has passed, my family will still have a copy to pass on.”

The two nodded simultaneously, their tone becoming unusually firm: "Yes, let's take one last look. After we've seen the house, we'll go back to the Canal Gang. Whatever the outcome, I can accept it."

This idea arose extremely abruptly, and even the reasons they gave were full of logical flaws.

Knowing full well that all the sects were in a frenzy and that going back would be like throwing lambs to the slaughter, at that moment, the urge to go home overcame all reason.

The two turned around, their backs to the fluttering banner of the Canal Gang, and walked further and further away in the direction of their respective hometowns.

……

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, at the office of the Canal Gang.

Jiang Zhen suddenly unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, which swept outwards in all directions. A painful groan echoed from the void. Jiang Zhen then abruptly looked up at the void. The feeling of being watched disappeared. He unleashed his full power of vibration perception, but sensed nothing.

"What's going on...?"

"I suddenly felt like someone was watching me."

"Daluo Cave? Guji Pavilion?"

Chapter 86 The Art of Seizing Chaos

Shanghai, the Grand Canal Office Building.

Jiang Zhen stood by the window. Although the Conqueror's Haki that had burst forth in the previous instant had been subsided, a chilling residual power still lingered in the air.

"You dodged pretty quickly." Jiang Zhen narrowed his eyes, his sense of vibration spreading outwards like a tide.

In that instant of flashing black and red lightning, he did indeed catch a glimpse of something.

"Uncle-Master, what happened?"

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Fang Dongtian rushed in, his face pale, a few drops of cold sweat still clinging to his forehead. The oppressive feeling he had just experienced in the side hall downstairs, which had almost frozen his soul, made him realize immediately that something serious was wrong.

"Such a powerful aura suddenly erupted, it doesn't seem like someone who usually cultivates... Hmm? Just now... who else was there?"

"Oh? You can sense it too?" Jiang Zhen looked at Fang Dongtian, somewhat surprised. "How did you sense it?"

Fang Dongtian did not answer immediately, but slowly closed his eyes. As a top disciple of Quanzhen, his life cultivation was among the best in the entire Cao Gang and even the entire world of supernatural beings. He took a deep breath, and a faint layer of Qi light emanated from his body as he sensed the strange Qi field remaining around him.

After a moment, Fang Dongtian opened his eyes, pointed to an open space about three steps away from his desk, and said confidently:

"He's already gone. But there's a very strange aura left here. If I'm not mistaken, that person was standing here just now, but this aura feels very strange, I've never seen it before, and... when he left, his aura was very broken, he must have been seriously injured by your move just now, Uncle."

Fang Dongtian paused, then added, "As for how to sense it? It's not difficult. As long as your life cultivation is sufficient, you will naturally be able to sense it."

“Yes, there was something there just now. If I’m not mistaken, that thing was Gu Jiting from the Thirty-Six Thieves,” Jiang Zhen explained.

“The Great Luo Cave Observation?” Fang Dongtian muttered to himself, his brows furrowed. “That means of discerning the essence of all things and even interfering with cause and effect? ​​If it is him spying on us, then this feeling can be explained.”

Because news of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques had been spreading like wildfire, the Canal Gang naturally already possessed most of the core information. Furthermore, as a transmigrator, Jiang Zhen also knew most of the details, and had previously explained it to Fang Dongtian, though Fang Dongtian had shown disdain at the time.

Jiang Zhen looked at Fang Dongtian and asked, "What do you think of this ability? Or rather, what do you think of these eight so-called divine skills?"

Fang Dongtian shrugged and said:

“I don’t really look. According to your description, Uncle-Master, this skill is extremely strange, like a profound method of observation. Because he is looking, he is there.”

"Although it is miraculous, it is ultimately inferior, being too unbalanced. In his current state, if he were to accidentally encounter someone with an extremely strong will like his martial uncle, a single encounter could damage his soul. Therefore, I think this thing is somewhat similar to the Yang God, but far inferior to it."

“However, these things now truly deserve the title of ‘the art of creating chaos’,” Fang Dongtian sighed.

"You also believe it's a tactic to incite chaos?" Jiang Zhen asked curiously. "What's your reasoning?"

“Three points.” Fang Dongtian held up three fingers, his expression turning serious.

"First, this thing is too tempting. It's human nature to want something for nothing, and the temptation of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques is so great that it can cause dozens of sects to openly break apart."

"Secondly, the path of cultivation is wrong. These strange skills are too focused on 'technique,' that is, functionality. They only cultivate life and not nature, or rather, their spiritual cultivation is achieved through some kind of 'shortcut.' Such leapfrog advancement makes the foundation of spiritual cultivation extremely unstable. Sooner or later, such people will destroy themselves or be led into a dead end by the power."

Fang Dongtian walked to his desk, picked up a pen, and drew a symbol on a piece of paper. These days, he had become very interested in Western cell theories. Besides lecturing Jiang Zhen, he spent all his time in the research institute and even taught himself English in a very short period of time.

"Third... Uncle-Master, let me give you an example. The experts in our research institute, when researching a new type of explosive or chemical formula, the normal process is to accumulate decades of experience across generations, through countless derivations, and finally arrive at a formula. They know how the formula came about, and they also know the reaction principle of each step. So even if the formula is lost, they can derive it again. More importantly, they know how to teach it to future generations, because the process is clear."

Fang Dongtian pressed his pen tip heavily on the paper.

"But what if someone skipped this process and just dropped an answer from the sky, giving you the ultimate formula? It would be incredibly useful, but with your current foundation, you simply can't derive it backwards. Uncle, do you think it's feasible for a true expert to only need to know how to use the formula without ever understanding how it came about?"

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Zhen replied, "That definitely won't work. If researchers only know what to do but not why, then the discipline will die. There will be no progress, no adaptability, and the slightest mistake will lead to total failure."

"That's right."

Fang Dongtian slapped his thigh: "Cultivation is the same principle. The process of cultivation is actually the process of life evolution. The system is rigorous and it is done step by step."

"The Eight Extraordinary Techniques provide the answer, but omit the most crucial evolutionary process. I have no prejudice against the Eight Extraordinary Techniques themselves; if anyone gave me a copy, I would want it too."

"But the problem is that these things provide answers too quickly and too beautifully, which will completely mislead future generations. When everyone is thinking about grabbing the 'answer' and no one pays attention to the 'process,' the foundation of the entire world of supernatural beings will rot."

"If you take the answer and look for the process, what if the process is wrong, but everyone is still able to agree with it... the consequences would be unimaginable."

Fang Dongtian's expression was somewhat grim. "That's why I said, for cultivators, this is the 'art of seizing chaos'—a technique that leads to the extinction of one's lineage and is the root of all evil..."

Suddenly, Fang Dongtian's voice stopped abruptly.

He seemed frozen in place, suddenly turning his head to look at a deserted, dead-end corner in the office.

Jiang Zhen also sensed it.

That vanished sense of being watched has returned. But this time, it's a wave filled with weakness and a tentative feeling.

"They're really courting death." Jiang Zhen snorted coldly, ready to unleash his Conqueror's Haki at any moment.

However, the next second, a strange syllable exploded directly in their ears.

"%#：！@#：%"

Although it was a strange, chaotic jumble of syllables, both of them could hear the meaning it conveyed clearly.

"I... meant no harm."

That was Gu Qiting. His consciousness was extremely weak, clearly indicating that Jiang Zhen's Conqueror's Haki attack had caused him far more damage than he had imagined.

“I’ve stepped forward; I’ve seen the results.” Gu Jiting’s voice was broken.

"I simply put them back on the right track."

Jiang Zhen's face darkened: "What do you mean?"

“The path… was their own choice.” Ignoring Jiang Zhen’s question, Gu Qiting’s voice was intermittent. “My power couldn’t stop them. I just amplified the thoughts that they already had in their hearts but dared not face.”

"Ben wanted to leave behind a legacy, and Yingzi wanted to see her family. These thoughts had been weighing on their hearts all along. They always wanted to go home, see their relatives, and leave behind a legacy. This was their deepest and truest desire."

"I just... got them back on the right path..."

"Back to the true path?" Jiang Zhen remembered that Ma Ben was in a terrible state in the original story, and although Duanmu Ying was better off, she was no less miserable.